Baby-carriage



no Model.)

S. P. DAVIS 86 JQH. DIOKS. BABY CARRIAGE.

No. 455,909. Patented July 14, 1891.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- SALOME P. DAVIS AND JAMES H. DICKS, OF SAN J OSE, CALIFORNIA.

BABY-CARRIAG E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 455,909, dated July 14, 1891. Application filed March 11, 1891. Serial No. 384,607 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SALOME P. DAVIS drens carriages.

It consists in the novel safety-catch hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The object of our invention is .to provide simple and eifective means for locking the Wheels of the carriage in order to prevent it from rolling when unattended. Baby-carriages areoften released by the attendant for a greater or less time and allowed to stand. Upon city sidewalks especially, which are always sloping, the carriage will roll down by gravity, and accidents from this cause are not infrequent.

Our invention prevents any movement of the unattended carriage by securely locking its wheels.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanation of our invention, the figure is a perspective View of the running-gear of a baby-carriage, showing the application thereto of our safety-catch.

A is the frame of the running-gear.

B is the forward axle, having wheels C.

D is the rear axle, having wheels E.

F is the push-handle of the carriage.

Fitted to or upon the hubs of the rear wheels E are the ratchets G. ith the teeth of these ratchets the pawls H are adapted to engage. These pawls are carried by a rockshaft I, mounted suitably on frame A, and from the rock-shaft extends backwardly a lever J. A spring or other suitable catch K,

secured to the bar of handle F, is adapted to reoeiy e and hold up the lever J. Now when the carriage is in motion the lever J is held in an elevated position by the catch K, and the shaft I is so turned that its pawls H are raised from the ratchets G, and do not therethe teeth of the ratchets G. The

fore interfere with the movement of the wheels and the travel of the carriage; but when the attendant is about to release the carriage to let it stand for a moment or longer she disengages the lever J from catch K. The lever thereupon falls of its own weight, thereby rocking shaft I andcausing the pawls H to enter between and to engage wheels are thereby securely locked and the carriage cannot move. To release the wheels, the lever J must be raised and held up again. In order to insure, if necessary, the descent of the lever, it may be Weighted, and a spring L may be used to assist in the movement of the lever. In cases where the axle rotates with the wheels the ratchet may be placed on the axle instead of on the wheel-hub, if desired.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a baby-carriage, the safety-catch to look its wheels, consisting of the ratchets on the wheel-hubs, the transverse rock-shaft, pawls carried by the opposite ends. of shaft and adapted to engagetheratchet's,tl1e gravitylever of the shaft extending upward to the handle, and the spring-catch on said handle to hold said lever up, substantially as herein described.

2. In a baby-carriage, the combination of the running-gear frame having the push-handle and the wheels, the ratchets on the hubs of the wheels, the pawls for engaging said ratchets, the transverse rock-shaft mounted on the frame and carrying the pawls, the rearwardly extending gravity lever, the spring-catch on the push-handle for holding said lever up, and a spring bearing under the lever to assist its movement, substantially as I herein described.

lnwitness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

sALoME P. DAVIS. JAMES H. DI CKS. Witnesses:

A. A. GAsToN, W. G. KENNEDY. 

